Republican lawmakers who voted against the first Hurricane Sandy relief package scrambled to explain their votes as their offices were swamped Saturday by a deluge of angry phone calls from storm victims.

Sixty-seven members of the House of Representatives, all Republicans, voted against the $9.7 billion funding package that will help the ailing federal flood insurance program to pay the legitimate claims of those impacted by the historic storm.

Most of the lawmakers explained that they were making a statement not against the victims in the northeast states, which all lean Democratic, but rather the federal government’s bloated budget.”Being from South Carolina, I can understand the need for disaster relief,” said Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC). “However, we’re over $16 trillion in debt, and this bill did not offset the disaster relief funds with spending cuts in other areas.”

Some of the representatives who voted against the measure on Friday hail from the Gulf Coast states that received billions of federal aid – some within two weeks – after being hit by Hurricane Katrina.

“Of course, we are sympathetic to the hurricane victims,” said Laura Chambers, spokeswoman for Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-MS), who represents cities like Gulfport and Biloxi that were nearly washed away by the killer 2005 storm.

“But on the heels of a fiscal cliff deal that added $4 trillion to our existing $16 trillion national debt, we must ensure that disaster relief is paid for,” she said.
Staffers of several Congressional Republicans confirmed Saturday that their offices had received scores of angry calls and emails from people furious about their vote. The Daily News printed the office phone numbers of the 67 lawmakers who sided against the bill.

That vote total – and the looming clash over the nation’s debt limit – could foreshadow a tougher fight to get the rest of the $60.4 billion package passed when it comes to a vote Jan. 15.

The Club for Growth, a conservative lobbying group that advocates for limited government and low taxes, has already warned lawmakers that they would campaign against any candidate who votes for the aid bill. The group demanded that every dollar spent be offset by one cut from somewhere else in the federal budget.

“It doesn’t help the nation to pass a giant, overpriced bill that isn’t paid for,” said group spokesman Barney Keller. “This is Congress’ fault. All we’re asking for is them to spend the money responsibly.”